“One of the greatest drains on our youthful energy and vitality is the internal taskmaster, the voice of ‘shoulds’,” says Tara Sophia Mohr, an expert on women's leadership and well-being. “Pay attention to thoughts that include the word ‘should,’ such as ‘I should lose ten pounds’ or ‘I should do the dishes.’ Question that voice. Is what it is saying really helping you live a more vital, enjoyable life? Change your should thoughts to ‘I want to’ or ‘I choose to’ or drop them entirely."

Click here to read the rest of the Forever Young: Expert Tips for Aging Gracefully slideshow.

Have you always wanted to try Bikram yoga but didn't want to buy an expensive package? “Deal-of-the-day websites such as Groupon and LivingSocial offer deep discounts on monthly packages and are great ways to take advantage of a new type of workout,” says Heather Bauer, RD, CDN, founder of Nu-Train and author of Bread is the Devil (out January 2012). “Buy two coupons and surprise a friend for her birthday or upcoming holiday.

Click here to read the rest of the 35 Fun Ways to Lose Weight With Friends slideshow.

You’ve probably heard that keeping a gratitude journal increases happiness, but what about recording every time you give someone a compliment, hold the elevator door open or let a car merge during rush hour? When Japanese researchers asked a group of adults to keep track of every act of kindness they performed for a week, they found that study participants’ happiness increased significantly compared to both when they started and a control group. Already happy? Even better. People who were happier to start with became even happier, kinder and more grateful by jotting down their good deeds.

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When you're at the grocery store, choose quality over quantity. Not only is eating “real food” more satisfying, but it also doesn’t contain any hidden ingredients or sneaky calories. “The French eat a lot of different food, but everything they eat is real," says Will Clower, MD, neuroscientist and author of The French Don’t Diet Plan. "Their cheese is not cheese food; their bread is not plastic wrapped I-wonder-what-it-is bread; it’s not made with high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, stabilizers or chemicals that give it shelf life…The coffee doesn’t come in a bucket with caramel, other syrups and things. It’s just coffee. The stuff the French eat is made with real ingredients.”

Click here to read the rest of the 21 Ways French Women Stay Thin slideshow.

They often contain sugar alcohols, low-calorie sweeteners that linger in the intestines where bacteria ferment them, causing gas and bloating. Mannitol is especially known for this, but be sure to check a product’s ingredient list for any sugar alcohols-they commonly end in "tol." If you’re concerned about calories, eat a smaller serving of the full-sugar version.

Click here to read the rest of the Flatten Your Belly Fast slideshow.

To perform better, cool down before you warm up. Research shows that lowering your body temperature prior to exercise increases the amount of heat your body can tolerate, which delays fatigue. The best way: Slowly sip a flavored ice slushie starting 30 minutes before you exercise. Athletes who did this before running on a treadmill in hot room ran an average of 10 minutes longer than those who drank cold, flavored water, according to a 2010 study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Because the runners’ bodies had to convert the slushies from ice to water, they may have transferred more heat to the drink rather than store it internally where it would have raised their core temperatures, say researchers.

Click here to read the rest of the 10 Summer Workout Mistakes That Stall Results slideshow.

When you’re working on getting healthy, it’s easy to see things as black or white. No more chips, ever again. Exercise six days a week, forever. And so on. This mentality becomes draining very quickly and makes it harder for you to maintain a positive outlook on achieving your goal. If you aim to eat healthy and to exercise most days of the week, then don’t feel badly if you allow yourself to splurge on a treat or to relax in a nonphysical way during the other days. For instance, if you strive to eat lean protein, plenty of fresh produce, lean dairy, and whole grains 90 percent of the time, not eating as well the other 10 percent isn’t going to derail your efforts.

Click here to read the rest of the 12 Quick Fixes for Lasting Weight Loss slideshow.

New to exercise or coming off a long hiatus? Instead of doing multiple sets of the same strength training move, do cardio work between single sets, suggests Andrea Metcalf, author of Naked Fitness. “Multiple sets for those just starting out do not reap significant strength gains compared to single sets.”

Click here to read the rest of the Celebrity Trainers' Favorite Fitness Tips and Toys slideshow.

A crop of new research studies finds that not only does static stretching not prevent injuries when done before exercise, but it may actually hinder your performance. "There is a neuromuscular inhibitory response to static stretching," says Malachy McHugh PhD, director of Research Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma, which makes stretched muscles less reponsive for about 30 minutes afterward. What's better? A five to 10-minute dynamic warmup that consists of continuous movements—such as walking lunges, straight-leg marches and arm windmills—will increase body temperature, heart rate and blood flow and gradually prepare muscles for action. When golfers did this type of warmup, they had greater swing speeds and their balls flew faster, and soccer players sprinted 20 meters faster, according to studies published in The International Journal of Sports Medicine and the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, respectively.

Click here to read the rest of the 17 Exercise Rules to Break slideshow.

Got vaginal dryness? Do this: Lube up during sex. "There are so many natural-feeling products on the market now," says Cheryl B. Iglesia, MD, of the Washington Hospital Center, in Washington, D.C. "Just avoid any brand that contains drying alcohol." If itching and burning occur at other times of the day, use a vaginal moisturizer. Newer products like KY Liquibeads or Replens Long Lasting need to be applied only once every few days. Or this: Your doctor may prescribe vaginal estrogen rings, creams, or tablets. "These deliver much lower doses of estrogen than systemic hormone therapy and go right to the source of your problem, so they’re much safer," Iglesia says. Still, this is only for those near menopause who aren’t producing much estrogen themselves.

Click here to read the rest of the How to Beat the Top Perimenopause Symptoms slideshow.

Find a community of like-minded people who have similar goals so you can motivate and challenge each other in positive ways. Can’t find one? Start your own with women you know.

Click here to read the rest of the Jumpstart Your Best Body slideshow.

“I am a big fan of High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT,” says MB Regan, a New York City-based SoulCycle instructor. This training method alternates low- to moderate-intensity intervals with heart-thumping, lung-screaming high-intensity intervals. “HIIT is considered to be much more effective than normal cardio because the intensity is higher and you are able to increase both your aerobic and anaerobic endurance while burning more fat,” says Regan.

HIIT can be applied to your cardio or strength training. Here are three routines to try. Perform as many repetitions as you can in 30 seconds. And remember, says Regan, form is key.

Upper body HIIT

1. Push-ups for 30 seconds

2. Bent over rows using 10 or 12-pound dumbbells for 30 seconds

3. Tricep kickbacks using (10-12lbs) for 30 seconds

4. Bicep curls (10-12lbs) for 30 seconds

5. Rest/Recover. Repeat two more times

Lower body HIIT

1. Squats for 30 seconds

2. Standing lunges, right foot forward for 30 seconds

3. Standing lunges, left foot forward for 30 seconds

4. Plies with shoulder press (5-10lbs) for 30 seconds

5. Rest/Recover. Repeat two more times

Cardio

1.Walk briskly or jog lightly for 30 seconds.

2. Sprint for 30 Seconds Sprint.
3. Repeat nine times, alternating walking/jogging and sprinting for a total of 10 minutes.  

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